Oct. 16 Weekly Briefing: Library opens, new chamber initiative, ‘Shadowalk’ addressed, and more

Happy Thursday, where the library is open, but that’s just the beginning! Now it’s our turn to make it our own. As you’ll read below, the library currently has about 4,000 books, with room to grow. That’s where you come in. If you’re looking for a book, DVD, or audiobook that’s not on the shelves or offered at other Riverside County libraries, fill out this form online to request a purchase! Or you can always talk to your friendly neighborhood librarians and they’ll put in the request for you (and recommend another book while you wait!).

🎶 Setting the mood: “This Must Be the Place” by Talking Heads

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LEADING OFF

Indio opens new library, weighs breaking from county system

Indio’s new 7,000-square-foot public library opened Wednesday with dozens of eager patrons lining up for its first day. The facility is part of a broader Civic Center Campus that includes new City Hall.

Driving the news: With the opening, the city is considering whether Indio should establish an independent library system separate from Riverside County, following the lead of neighboring cities like Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert.

Why it matters: The city would look into whether or not the move would enhance programming and better serve residents’ needs, rather than paying to be a part of the county system that contracts with private company Library Systems & Services.

• Palm Desert withdrew from the Riverside County Library System in 2023, their City Council found that the breakup would free up extra money and improve services.

Yes but: It’s still all just considerations, the city has yet to take any action to study the issue. “We’re happy with what we have right now, but we can always get better,” Mayor Glenn Miller said.

By the numbers: The $10 million project took two years to complete and utilized a $4.6 million state grant.

What’s next: Residents can look forward to story times, crafts for seniors, movie matinees and a teen club beginning in November.

• The facility is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Dive deeper with our complete story here.

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BRIEFLY

💼 New Indio Chamber of Commerce seeks to unite city’s business owners under inclusive model

Local entrepreneurs are working to form a new Indio Chamber of Commerce to unite the city’s business owners after organizers discovered the previous chamber had dissolved due to state default and license suspension.

• Local entrepreneur Dick Shalhoub presented plans to the Indio City Council on Wednesday for a new chamber of commerce aimed at uniting the city’s 3,000 business license-holders. 
  
• Organizers raised $30,000 in initial funding to establish the new 501(c) organization and paid off the previous chamber’s delinquencies to restore its state license. With more than 500 new businesses formed in the last two years and 300 in just the last year, the group believes Indio needs a chamber focused solely on the city.
  
• What to watch for: Next steps include reconnecting with past members, hiring a CEO, building visibility and branding, and developing partnerships with the city, College of the Desert, and other organizations for workforce development.

Dive deeper with our complete story here.

🏥Rural hospital files for bankruptcy; patients could seek care at JFK Memorial

During Wednesday’s City Council meeting, Councilmember Oscar Ortiz brought attention to the crisis facing Palo Verde Hospital in Blythe, and the effects it could have on Indio’s only hospital.

• On Sept. 30, Palo Verde Hospital District filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy after decades of financial troubles came to a head and the hospital was unable to pay its bills. Ortiz said patients seeking care from Blythe could seek care at Indio’s John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, the closest option for Blythe residents.
  
• The Desert Healthcare District, a local government agency and one of the largest funders in the valley, has been in talks with the county and other stakeholders about how it can help the hospital.
  
• What to watch for: The Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) meets today and the issue is on the agenda.

Dive deeper with Alicia Ramirez’s complete story in The Riverside Record.

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YOUR WEEKEND

“The Cottage: Broadway’s Killer Comedy”
All weekend | Desert Theatreworks
Fresh from its hit Broadway run, “The Cottage” is an “outrageous tale of sex, betrayal, and desire” set in the 1920s. Runs through Nov. 2 ($47)

Ribbon Cutting: Outside the Masa
Friday | 9 a.m. | 43905 Clinton Street
Come celebrate the ribbon cutting of Outside the Masa, an Indio Food Truck favorite.

Boz Scaggs: Rhythm Review 2025
Friday | 8 p.m. | Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio
Boz Scaggs, an artist with numerous hit singles and a string of platinum albums, is coming to Indio with his Rhythm Review. ($80)

St. John’s Church Community Garage Sale
Saturday | 8 a.m. | St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church
Who knows what treasure you’ll find at this community garage sale!

Coachella Valley Horse Rescue Open House
Saturday | 9:30 a.m. | Coachella Valley Horse Rescue
It’s time for the Fall meet and greet! Come on down for guided tours, face painting, horse painting, arts and crafts, and more!

Intocable
Sunday | 8 p.m. | Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio
The 2-time Grammy and 7-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American group will return this weekend to the Special Events Center with their unique, genre-bending Tejano/Norteño sound that blended rock, pop, polka, cumbia and folk.

Check out more events in our community calendar

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AND FINALLY …

If you’ve ever braved the comment section on one the city’s posts on Instagram or Facebook, chances are you’ve seen complaints, and maybe made some complaints of your own, about a certain art/shade project along Jackson Street. The city had some ‘splainin’ to do, and brought in an engineer and artist to elaborate.

Driving the news: The city’s principal civil engineer, Donn Uyeno, was summoned by councilmembers to remind residents about the origins of the “Shadowalk” public art installation along Jackson Street from Kenner Avenue to Avenue 45.

What it is: The metal shade structures span sections of the sidewalk along Jackson, totaling about three quarters of a mile and 11,000 square feet of shade.

Why it is: The city received a $4.5 million grant from the state to use toward projects that reduce litter, create inviting and walkable spaces, and beautify corridors.

• Part of the grant was used for the Shadowalk project, which also included repairs and replacements of sidewalks, driveways, and curbs.

Local connection: Wes Heiss, one of the artists who worked on the project, said they were inspired by palm trees and wanted to include the community in their design. “We invited students at Amistad, Shadow Hills, and Indio High School to make drawings of palm trees and fronds,” Heiss said.

Dive deeper: They took 135 of those drawings and turned them into perforated patterns that decorate the shade structures and create a patter of light and shadow on the ground when the sun is in the right spot.

What they’re saying: “For so many years, that area has been underserved, not on purpose,” Councilmember Waymond Fermon said, “It just happened like that. And the city has done a great job of focusing on that area…and I’m very proud of that and what we’ve been doing now for this art piece.”